Son Charged in Mother's Murder

Victim was a resident of the Mosby Woods neighborhood.

In a neighborhood where children play outside, people walk their dogs and neighbors can be found talking to each other while gardening in their yards, a murder is the last thing anyone expected.

Dennis Jones, a Mosby Woods resident, found the body of his wife, Pamela Ann Jones, 57, on Friday, May 12, in their home in the 3200 block of Sherman St. The murder is the city's first since Dec. 26, 2005.

Dennis Jones found his wife slain in the couple’s home around 8:30 p.m., said city police spokesperson Lynn Coulter. Dennis Jones came home after becoming distraught about a conversation with the couple’s son, Nathan Phillip Jones, 24, according to the May 13 affidavit for a search warrant for Nathan’s bedroom at the home.

Dennis Jones found his wife on the bathroom floor, said Coulter. According to the search warrant, Pamela Jones had been stabbed; broken shards of glass were found in the kitchen where two bloody knives were recovered.

After investigating, police learned Nathan Jones had been home with his mother for most of the day on May 12, so he became a person of interest in the case, said Coulter.

Police questioned Nathan Jones Friday night, continuing into the early morning. Police charged him with his mother’s murder Saturday, May 13, around 1 a.m., said Coulter. Nathan Jones is scheduled to appear in court in June.

Neighbors said Pamela Jones was very quiet, but also extremely friendly.

One neighbor, Thomas Keo, remembers talking to Pamela Jones while working on his yard. His house is across the street, and he said he saw her gardening quite frequently. Keo said they would often joke about the neighborhood being an international place, since Keo was from Cambodia and Pamela Jones was from Australia. He remembers how welcoming Pamela Jones was when he moved to the neighborhood nearly two years ago.

"She came by and introduced herself," said Keo. "She was a very quiet, friendly, nice person."

“She was a really nice lady,” said Karim Ezzat, 18, who has been neighbor for about nine years. “She would stop and talk and ask me about school.”

Ezzat said that Pamela Jones was usually alone when she did yard work or went on walks. "We're a pretty tight-knit neighborhood," said Ezzat. "I knew about how he [Nathan] had some kind of illnesses, but so do a lot of people. That doesn't mean they'll do something bad."

A memorial service for Pamela Jones will be Thursday, May 18, 2 p.m., at the Fourth Presbyterian Church, 5500 River Road, Bethesda, Md.